FRI PT 2: Dan + Shay Open Up About Insecurities, Fame And Also Share Personal 'Tell Me Something Good' Stories

Summary

The Bobby Bones Show – April 3, 2026 Episode: FRI PT 2: Dan + Shay Open Up About Insecurities, Fame And Also Share Personal 'Tell Me Something Good' Stories

---

Overview

This episode of The Bobby Bones Show centers on an in-depth interview with country duo Dan + Shay, who open up about insecurities, fame, and the personal journey behind their new song "Say So." The team also shares fun personal stories, discusses pop culture and trending news, and ends with a classic “Tell Me Something Good” segment featuring stories from the entire show cast as well as Dan + Shay themselves.

---

Key Discussion Points

1. Pop Culture Chatter & Warm-Up (00:40–04:30)

• The co-hosts banter about generational trends in fashion, especially sneaker terminology ("sneakers" vs. "tennis shoes" vs. "athletic shoes").
• Light-hearted disagreements and the influence of younger generations on style choices.
• Nostalgic conversations about their own shoe "eras" and donating old shoes.

Notable Quote (Amy, 00:58):
"If you look down and I’m telling you the story right now, and you’re like, oh, I have on my Air Force Ones. Who cares? Just own it, wear it, do what you want."

2. Odd News & Viral Stories (06:10–20:00)

• Amazon Prime Gas Discounts:
  Discussion of Prime member perks at select gas stations and the changing landscape of consumer technology.
• 1994 Missing Girl Found:
  A woman missing for 32 years is discovered alive—the crew ponders reasons for confidentiality and speculates on what happened.
• Mysterious Disappearances of Scientists:
  Bobby dives deep into conspiracy theorist territory, discussing the cases of nine missing or dead aerospace scientists, UFO claims, and government secrecy.
  • Theories about "nonhuman and human hybrid breeding programs," reflecting on recent statements from public officials and connecting to pop culture (e.g., the TV show Scandal and historical black ops).

Notable Quote (Bobby Bones, 10:28):
"A group of scientists working in nuclear programs, aerospace, defense... started disappearing one by one... there’s no explanation, no pattern. Just gone."

3. Dan + Shay Interview (22:43–45:44)

A. Duo Identity and Names (22:44–25:30)

• Recurrent confusion over who is Dan and who is Shay, and the significance of their real names.
• Shay reveals his legal first name is James ("James Shay Mooney") but has always gone by Shay.
• Playful discussion about possible alternate duo names (“Dan and James,” “Jimmy Shea”), with much laughter.

Notable Quote (Dan Smyers, 24:11):
"It’s an acronym—Not So Happy All Year. That’s ‘Shay.’"

B. New Era Aesthetic and Perfectionism (25:35–27:20)

• Dan + Shay explain their new, all-black look and how it represents a shift in their artistic direction.
• The duo reflects on taking longer to release music due to Dan’s perfectionistic tendencies.
• Comments on the changing music industry and pressure for constant output.

C. The Story Behind "Say So" (27:21–30:57)

• "Say So" was written in memory of Ben Vaughn, the duo’s first publishing deal mentor, who lost his life to suicide.
• An emotional recounting of writing the song without knowing it was Ben’s birthday—the duo sees it as fate.
• Dan discusses the importance of male mental health and therapy, sharing candidly about his own struggles with anxiety and depression.

Notable Quote (Dan Smyers, 29:08):
"I learned that 80% of suicides in the United States are male, which is a pretty shocking stat. I think guys… myself included… don’t do a good job of sharing their feelings and emotions."

D. Band Dynamics and Communication (30:57–32:32)

• Shay describes how better communication has transformed their working relationship and made making music fun again.
• Emphasizes the importance of expressing vulnerability and checking in with each other.

Notable Quote (Shay Mooney, 31:35):
"I’m having fun making music again in the process. And I think that starts with us, making sure we’re communicating."

E. Touring, Fame, and Insecurity (32:32–36:14)

• Both express nerves about returning to the road, fearing whether fans still care.
• Openly discuss the artist’s anxiety about relevance, changing times, and short attention spans.
• Shay compares it to pro athletes facing a limited playing window, emphasizing gratitude for a career in music.

Notable Quote (Shay Mooney, 34:03):
"I don’t think that ever goes away as an artist. Like… you care a lot… it never changes, that spark of wanting to do this for a living and getting to do it on the highest level never goes away."

F. The "Why" in Their Art and Life (36:14–37:16)

• Dan turns the question to Bobby Bones, asking his motivation for continuing to do the show.
• The discussion broadens to finding joy in the process, not just the outcomes, and appreciating community.

Notable Quote (Dan Smyers, 36:42):
"It’s about finding joy in the process, too. Like, getting to come in here, spend time with people you love…"

G. "Tell Me Something Good" – Personal Stories (37:22–42:45)

• Shay Mooney: Expresses gratitude for his family, music, and how his personal and professional life have aligned. Shares a proud dad moment about his six-year-old’s baseball achievements.
• Dan Smyers: Shares an update on his dog, Joy—named during the show’s “Pimpin’ Joy” campaign—who has survived cancer against the odds.

H. Reflection on Legacy and Community (42:25–44:08)

• Both Dan + Shay discuss why meaning and community are more important than ever.
• They express that the value of making music now is in its personal significance and the hope it may impact listeners’ lives.

Notable Quote (Shay Mooney, 42:25):
"Why do anything if it doesn’t matter? … You’ll never be able to replace community and the people that are around you. Community matters."

I. Touring Traditions and Encore Stories (44:13–45:34)

• Normally save their hits "Speechless" and "Tequila" for encores.
• Discuss the ritual of encores and a memorable story about The Fray opting not to return for one.

---

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• "The spark of wanting to do this for a living and getting to do it on the highest level never goes away." —Shay Mooney (34:03)
• "I obsess over every detail, and it's maybe to a fault sometimes… But if it helps one person, if it saves one life, it was worth it." —Dan Smyers on "Say So" (29:08)
• "Community matters. You’ll never be able to replace community and the people that are around you." —Shay Mooney (42:25)
• "Are people gonna like, come to the shows and do they care about this music? Especially now, more than ever… does it matter?" —Shay Mooney (34:03)
• "Dan and James doesn’t work the same." —Bobby Bones, joking on duo names (24:47)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:40 – Show opens; roundtable banter on shoes and generational labels
• 06:10 – Amy & Eddie share feel-good and odd news stories; missing girl story
• 10:28 – Bobby discusses missing scientists and conspiracy theories
• 22:43 – Dan + Shay join the show
• 24:11 – Duo discuss real names
• 25:35 – New era aesthetics and perfectionistic tendencies
• 27:21 – The story behind “Say So” and themes of mental health
• 30:57 – Impact of vulnerability and improved communication in the band
• 32:32 – Touring nerves and artist insecurities
• 36:14 – Discussion expands to purpose, motivation, and community
• 37:22 – “Tell Me Something Good” with Dan + Shay’s personal stories
• 44:13 – Touring and encores; funny stories about show endings

---

Summary

This episode offers deep insight into the personal and professional journeys of Dan + Shay, especially as they shift into a more purposeful, vulnerable phase of their careers. The duo’s candid discussion about mental health, creative perfectionism, the realities of fame, and the importance of community is both moving and relatable. Interspersed are light-hearted moments, stories of gratitude, and humorous asides that maintain the Bobby Bones Show’s authentic, conversational tone.

Listeners will walk away with:

• An understanding of the inspiration and intention behind Dan + Shay’s new song “Say So”
• A firsthand look at the duo’s evolving perspectives on music, art, and life
• Refreshing honesty around insecurity and growth in both personal and professional domains
• Evidence that, even at the top levels of entertainment, the basic human need for connection and meaning is paramount

---

For more, listen to the full episode of The Bobby Bones Show, April 3, 2026, wherever you get your podcasts.

Transcript

[Amy]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Guaranteed Human.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Anyways, only pay for what you [e-mail]

[Shay Mooney]

Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty.

[Bobby Bones]

Listening to the Bobby Bones Show.

[Shay Mooney]

Bobby Bones.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, Dan and Shay coming up in just a second. Let's go around the room, Amy.

[Amy]

Okay, so we don't need to listen to what fashion people say. Who cares? Wear what you want. But I did see the Air Force Ones, which I still wear from time to time. Those are now seen by Gen Z users as basic and overused.

[Bobby Bones]

I thought you said we weren't supposed to pay attention to that.

[Amy]

Yeah, you don't have to. I'm not saying, like, if you look down and I'm telling you the story right now, and you're like, oh, I have on my Air Force Ones. Who cares? Just own it, wear it, do what you want. But I sometimes think, like, okay, next time I put on my sneakers, I might be like, oh, I don't know if I'm going to reach for my Air Force Ones.

[Bobby Bones]

Maybe you calling them sneakers would be the first thing to not do.

[Amy]

What am I just call shoes?

[Bobby Bones]

I mean, sneakers feel like a little House on the Prairie type stuff. But again, I don't care what Gen Z thinks anyway. It's not that I don't care what people think. Like, who cares about Gen Z if you're in your 40s? Like, why am I worried about Gen Z?

[Amy]

Yeah, that's right.

[Bobby Bones]

No, I'm not doing it.

[Amy]

Wait, are you wearing your Air Force Ones?

[Bobby Bones]

No.

[Amy]

Oh.

[Eddie]

Would you care about what your kids think? Because that's kind of like.

[Amy]

That's what I'm saying. Like, I've got my daughter who looks at me like, oh, Mom. And she's embarrassed to be with me.

[Bobby Bones]

No, but I also think this is probably just a story that came out this week, and that's not consistent because they just made some dress Air Force Ones that are coming out in a few weeks.

[Amy]

What do you mean by dress?

[Bobby Bones]

They're leather. They're super nice.

[Amy]

Oh. Like, you wear them with a suit.

[Bobby Bones]

Air Force Ones are adult shoes. They're adult Nikes.

[Eddie]

And they're so comfortable. Like, Air Force ones are so comfortable.

[Bobby Bones]

They're okay.

[Eddie]

But that makes me sound old, too, that they're comfortable.

[Bobby Bones]

They're okay. Like, New Balance makes the most comfortable shoe. That are still pretty cool.

[Amy]

Those are sneakers?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. What do you call them?

[Eddie]

Running shoes?

[Bobby Bones]

Like, I guess I would call them tennis shoes.

[Amy]

Okay. Because sneaker. Running shoes, to me, have a very different look than a sneaker.

[Eddie]

Okay.

[Amy]

Or I think it's just.

[Bobby Bones]

What would you call a general athletic shoe?

[Eddie]

Yeah, a running shoe.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. I would call it a tennis shoe.

[Amy]

Okay.

[Bobby Bones]

And you would call it a sneaker. That's probably a thing. People probably do call it sneakers. I think you're the only one.

[Eddie]

What do you say, Bob? What do you say? Are you saying tennis shoe?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, it's a tennis shoe or tent.

[Amy]

Would you think he's saying tennis?

[Eddie]

No, we used to say Tenny shoe.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, but that's just a version of tennis shoe. Okay.

[Amy]

Yeah, tennis shoe. So when I was ordering your New Balances that I got you for your birthday, I typed in cool New Balance sneakers.

[Bobby Bones]

Sneaker. Any chance you're in a sneakers bar while you're looking for sneakers?

[Amy]

And then those popped up, and I thought, oh, I got him a purple pair like this.

[Bobby Bones]

He.

[Amy]

I think he likes them, so maybe we'll get him the brown. And Stevenson was like, I like the brown. It's cool. So we went with the brown. And then when they came in the mail, I was like, these are really brown. Good thing. Bobby's sort of color.

[Bobby Bones]

And I know what brown they are. I like them. I'm just kind of. At this point, I think I've moved out of my shoe era.

[Amy]

Oh, really?

[Bobby Bones]

Oh, yeah.

[Amy]

I do too many.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I don't care as much anymore. I had an era of, man, I'm so into shoes, and I wanted every kind of shoe. And I didn't have nice shoes growing up, so I wanted to have every kind of shoe now. And now I found myself donating two or three pair a week.

[Amy]

You're like, I just donated the brown ones.

[Bobby Bones]

No, no, no, not yet. The purple ones you got me last year, I still wear. You'll see them in my videos where I'm pushing the stroller.

[Dan Smyers]

So.

[Bobby Bones]

So those were good shoes.

[Amy]

Okay, well, I feel like if you need a brown shoe, I got you a brown sneaker.

[Bobby Bones]

Morgan, what do you call tennis shoes?

[Morgan]

I call them, like, if you're tennis shoes.

[Amy]

I mean, if you're going to grab

[Bobby Bones]

some athletic shoes and that's not what they're Called. But what would you. What would you call them? Go get the.

[Morgan]

My tennis shoes.

[Eddie]

No. Look at you.

[Bobby Bones]

Golly Mike. I mean, I don't.

[Dan Smyers]

I think I just say shoes.

[Bobby Bones]

No, but there's a difference. Let's say there's two pair of shoes. There's dress shoes, and there's an athletic shoe. I guess I would say running shoes.

[Amy]

Yeah. Cause he runs. He's a runner.

[Bobby Bones]

Lunchbox.

[News Reporter]

It's tennis shoes.

[Bobby Bones]

It's like. It's tennis. Well, it's not.

[News Reporter]

That's what they're called.

[Amy]

Okay. I didn't know I was the only person that referred to them as sneakers.

[Morgan]

I will say there are, like, some more cutesy sneakers that I have, and I do call them sneakers. Like, but they're, like, more dressy sneakers.

[Bobby Bones]

Sneakers are a thing. We're just saying it's weird based on where you live and maybe the demographic. I think sneakers was, like, a 50s or 60s thing.

[Eddie]

But don't you think we should move away from tennis shoe, though? Cause, like, we're not playing tennis in these things.

[Amy]

Yeah. Why are they called tennis shoes?

[Bobby Bones]

Probably because the first ones were made when they were playing tennis.

[Eddie]

So we should move away from that.

[Bobby Bones]

Why? What are you gonna call them in sneakers?

[Eddie]

That's the only other option.

[Bobby Bones]

Unless you have a good name for it. What are you gonna move away from?

[Eddie]

Athletic shoe.

[Bobby Bones]

That's harder to say.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay.

[Eddie]

A sports shoe.

[Bobby Bones]

Why are you gonna make it harder?

[Amy]

What about as?

[Bobby Bones]

Okay, thank you for your story, Eddie.

[Eddie]

Okay, so this is kind of good news that Prime. Amazon prime is giving away 20 cents off gas because gas is so expensive right now. But it's only in, like, certain stores.

[Bobby Bones]

How is that good news? How does that affect us?

[Amy]

Like, does Amazon have gas stations?

[Eddie]

Yeah. So you can pay with your Amazon account, but it's only at, like, bp Amaco.

[Amy]

Well, there's a lot of those.

[Eddie]

I know. For the rest of the country. We don't have any of those here, I don't think. I think we have bp. So if you're an Amazon prime account holder, you get this discount.

[Bobby Bones]

But how do you pay for it at the pump?

[Amy]

With what?

[Eddie]

With your Amazon app? Scan that code. You scan that code, you have a qr.

[Amy]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Bobby, do you not use your in store code when you shop?

[Bobby Bones]

When do I go in store? Okay, well, downstairs, the only time. Whole Foods.

[Amy]

That's exactly where you use it.

[Bobby Bones]

And gas pumps all have this.

[Amy]

I don't know.

[Eddie]

They have a scanner.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay.

[Eddie]

And you scan that QR code and

[Amy]

you get Your discount, and that's what you'll get. Say you do go down to Whole Foods. This is for anybody in the country. Make sure you do that, because then your Amazon account will keep record of everything you bought. But not only that stuff that's on sale, there's sometimes at Amazon, there's a sale price and then there's a prime member price. And if you're a prime member, you get the best deal.

[Bobby Bones]

That's a Whole Foods. All right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Amy]

Those are all across the country now.

[Eddie]

But it's.

[Amy]

Man.

[Eddie]

What's so crazy, though, is, like, yesterday I saw the price change in like a 10 cents in one day.

[Bobby Bones]

You mean gas in general?

[Dan Smyers]

Yes.

[Eddie]

Yeah, in one day. So, like, this is a big deal.

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Let's watch your story.

[News Reporter]

Yeah. There was a girl in 1994 in Arizona. She went out to her horse. She was going to visit her horse. She was 13. Never to be seen again. Disappeared without a trace. Well, she has been found alive.

[Bobby Bones]

Where was she?

[News Reporter]

And they have not said for her safety where they found her, but they are just saying with new technology and new leads, they started looking into the case and they found the girl.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. 32 years from when she disappeared to now, it's another one of these stories. We've had a few of them and for different reasons, where somebody is found decades later. I think it's the third one in the last three weeks we've had like this. But, yeah, they're not saying anything specific, like if she was abducted, if she ran away. Because there have been both of those versions of the story. There's been an abduction, but there was also the mom that ran off the kidnapping with her kid. I do finger quotes, but they change the names. But we know nothing else. Right?

[News Reporter]

Right. And the reason they. I find it interesting. They said for her safety, we're not saying where she was or who she was with.

[Bobby Bones]

Well, draw the conclusion. What do you think that means?

[News Reporter]

That means that maybe she felt like she was in an unsafe environment in

[Bobby Bones]

her house and she went off herself.

[News Reporter]

And she went off on herself. Yeah, with herself.

[Amy]

Oh, my gosh. Can you imagine trying to.

[News Reporter]

I mean, maybe she had someone that helped her, but she maybe planned it because she felt unsafe in her house and she didn't want to tell her parents, hey, I'm going. Because, you guys, that's what I take from. They're not saying because of her safety,

[Bobby Bones]

was she ever abducted?

[News Reporter]

Because when it happened, it was without a trace. So they had no idea if she was abducted. She left on her own, they weren't sure. And so now they found her. But they said for her safety, they're not revealing where she was or who she was with.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, there's a story going on right now. It sounds like a movie trailer. There are nine aerospace scientists. They're all gone. So some are missing, some are dead. All are connected to high government or space research. Have you been seeing this? Yes, and we've mentioned a couple of them, but they have been all independent stories. And so the Internet's asking, you know, what do they know? So I'll walk you through this. A group of scientists working in nuclear programs, aerospace, defense. They basically started disappearing one by one. And there was no explanation, There was no pattern. Just gone. And some would be. We can't find them. And some would be dead. So it's been a mix of them. And so it's classified projects, military tech, UFO type stuff. So immediately it feels like these people were silenced or they knew too much. But there are actual people. For example, Neil McCaslin. He's a retired Air Force. He was a general who used to run the Air Force, research, labor the place, working on some of the most advanced tech in the country. He went missing in New Mexico in 2026. There's no clear explanation. He's gone. That's real. Then you have Melissa Cassius, who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. She drops her kids off at daycare and then just disappears. No phone, no wallet, no keys. Gone. Working in the same area. There are a few others, engineers, researchers, people tied to aerospace or defense who have either gone missing, died unexpectedly, or been involved in accidents that feel off. And so the Internet's been going crazy. Nine scientists have disappeared.

[Amy]

That's a lot. You give me three of those and I'm gonna be like, okay. Coincidence.

[Bobby Bones]

Nine different states, different circumstances, but not wholly different outcomes because they're gone, they're wiped off.

[Eddie]

And they all kind of do the same thing.

[Bobby Bones]

They work in the same area. So still unsolved, super creepy. There's a scientist named Carl Grillmayer who was killed. Now police arrested a suspect. I don't know that one. Feels like that guy got caught and he was put up to killing the dude. That's just me. So it's wild. Especially because you had a former congressman on the news last week saying that he was briefed and he was told there was a project where they were breeding human and non human figures. And there were partial people in America that had part. Well, I use the word alien. That's not what. They used, like, alien blood in them. And then you had another congressman getting interviewed, and he's like, I've been briefed. I can't say anything about that. I can't even say he's wrong or right.

[Amy]

Wow. This is like a TV show.

[Eddie]

So you're not saying the word alien,

[Bobby Bones]

but that's really not the word they use anymore because it triggers little green men.

[Eddie]

But. But humans. Non human being breeded with non human.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Whoa.

[Eddie]

That is like a murder.

[Bobby Bones]

All these people are disappearing. There's nine. Nine folks that have disappeared in the last couple of years. Either just gone or murdered. And they all exist in that same sphere of nuclear aerospace, ufo. It's all in that.

[Eddie]

Are you leaning towards government?

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Or of course, aliens.

[Amy]

No, government. 100% our government.

[Bobby Bones]

There's just been too much weird stuff happen. Like Amy said, one or two things. Okay, nine.

[Amy]

I will clarify what I think about our government. It's a part of our government we don't know. And what I think of is on Scandal, they had something called B16 or B13 or something like that, and it was a whole part of the government that nobody knew about, but it was running the show. So you had the president, but really be whatever was running everything.

[Bobby Bones]

Based on reports from late March and early April 2026, a former US representative has claimed he was briefed by senior enlisted men in the U.S. army about a secret government program involving non human and human hybrid breeding. He claimed the whistleblower informed him that captured extraterrestrials were being forced to breed with humans who had been abducted from war zones and migrant caravans to build a hybrid race. There were breeding locations. This sounds so wild. And you would go, that's crazy. Except it is a former congressman. And then secondly, there have been nine people that have died or are now missing breeding locations. The purpose, the alleged goal of the program was to create a hybrid race capable of intergalactic communication. Non human. They further allege that CIA had examined crashed craft containing non human biologics, which I've heard that many times. So crazy, it's wild. That part again, seems crazy. And it's all going to seem crazy until it's not. They want full disclosure. We're never going to have that. But the part that is real is those nine people all disappeared or died. Weird. And it was one or two. I brought it up. I think there were two. I brought it up on this show and I was like, that's weird. One's in California. They really don't have anything to do with each other, except they work in the same area. One's dead, one's gone. Now seven more. So you tell me if that seems right.

[Eddie]

It's definitely weird.

[Amy]

And just for the sake of it, I have to do this. And I don't know why my brain can't ever remember, but the black ops group from scandal is B6 13. And this is exactly the type of stuff. I mean, it's just stuff you never know about. And the President doesn't have a hand in it. Vice President. They're just running things and they're globally things are happening. So I just feel like there's something behind the curtain of our government that could be involved in something like that.

[Bobby Bones]

The problem with that is you're referencing Scandal, a fictional television show.

[Amy]

I know, I know.

[Bobby Bones]

Now those shows are often built and there are real things used to make the storylines there. But when you're going, it's like Scandal, it does ruin a bit of credibility, I guess.

[Amy]

I'm just saying it's a group like, which the people don't know about and a lot of people in the government don't even know about, but it's happening and there's strings being pulled. And sometimes it could be in a form of blackmail or it could just be in a form of we run the show and you know that we do, so stand down or basically you'll end up dead.

[Bobby Bones]

The CIA was a version of what you're saying long ago when they were doing all kinds of tests on folks and nobody believed they were real. And now we know they were real. Yeah, so that's my story.

[Amy]

That's crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. The nine people gone's crazy.

[Amy]

It's almost. What's weird, though, is I'm sitting here thinking it's crazy, and then I'm like, yeah, it's definitely true, though. So. Which makes it like, not that crazy anymore, because there's so much crazy.

[Bobby Bones]

I think that Jeffrey Epstein situation is something probably non American, but definitely he was working as an asset for a group, an unknown group, very similar to what you're talking about. And he would find rich and powerful men in their areas that they could influence, and he would offer them this life that they couldn't have on their own, even with all the access and money. And then he had them. He would record them, he had them blackmailed.

[Amy]

If you had to put money on him being dead or alive, what would you do?

[Bobby Bones]

It's a great question.

[Amy]

Just

[Bobby Bones]

alive.

[Amy]

Same same. Which is. Which also seems crazy, but they're not

[Eddie]

how much money would you put on that?

[Bobby Bones]

Well, I mean, if they said, here's a $3,000 bet and what happened, Yeah, I would go alive. There's too many weird things about all of that. And alive. But I definitely don't think he killed himself. If he is dead. He was killed, but I would think he's alive somewhere.

[Amy]

Yeah, I agree with other governments involved. Like you said, it's not just like, oh, well, blame this president or this president. It's not even about the current political. It's not even about the current people in politics. Now, this goes so far back, except

[Bobby Bones]

he's got all the people in politics now having sex with kids and nobody's been arrested.

[Amy]

Yeah, there's that.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah.

[Amy]

Well, you know, Pam Bondi did lose her job.

[Bobby Bones]

She didn't get arrested, but she wasn't involved in the files.

[Amy]

I know.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, she wasn't in them.

[Amy]

And it's not even like. It's like, oh, this is. You're getting let go because you handled it this way. It's like, oh, you're being transferred to a different position. You're. You served America well. And it's like, did you.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't even think that was about the Epstein files. I think that was the Eric Stalwell situation. Yes.

[Amy]

Because she.

[Bobby Bones]

She was friends with him. He's a Democrat. And it was going to be. He was with a Chinese spy as his, like, that's his romantic partner, and that was going to come out. So she tipped him off.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Eddie, this is the cross dressing.

[Amy]

No, no, no, man. That's Christina.

[Eddie]

I can't keep up. It's too much.

[Amy]

Well, it would be like if you. If Bobby is in a certain position and he knows that you' something's about to happen to you and he would give you a heads up. And then someone in our company would have to go to Bobby and be like, dude, you couldn't. You can't do that. I have to transfer you out of your job.

[Eddie]

Now, that happens in sports.

[Amy]

What do you mean?

[Eddie]

Sports were like, the head coach knows something, somebody's doing something, and they cover up for him and.

[Amy]

And they lose their job.

[Eddie]

Yeah. Then they end up getting fired, right? Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Like what?

[Eddie]

Like Ohio State.

[Bobby Bones]

No, but Penn State.

[Eddie]

Penn State.

[Amy]

No, she said. She said heads up. This is. You're something. She gave him a heads up of what was going to be happening. And legally she can't do that.

[Bobby Bones]

And they're not even on the same side. He's a Democrat.

[Amy]

He's just her friend.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. So, no, not really. But it's all a little different. Representative Eric Stalwell's been involved in a long standing controversy regarding his past association with Christine Fang, a suspected Chinese intelligence operative. Fang reportedly targeted Swalwell during his time in 2015. The FBI provided him with evidence. On and on. They found no wrongdoing. But again, the Pam Bondi firing comes up because reports from April 2, 2026 reports that former Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired by President Trump partly because he believes she tipped Oswal about the impending release of these files. He has consistently maintained that he was a victim of an espionage attempt rather than a willing participant. Well, they were romantic, right, Fang?

[Amy]

Yeah, I believe so.

[Bobby Bones]

I think so, too. But I just want to make sure

[Amy]

before I say that Christine Fang. And then it's weird to think about Chinese operatives being here and Russian operatives being here, because they are. Absolutely. Again, it's just all like one big TV show.

[Bobby Bones]

It says whether Representative Swalwell and Christine Fang had a romantic or sexual relationship has not been definitively proven, though it has been a central point of speculation and political attack.

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

So if it were me. Just guessing. They probably did it, right? I'm just guessing they probably did it.

[Amy]

Yeah, a little nookie.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, Morgan, you have a story?

[Morgan]

I do. There is a Barbie Fry Festival that just kind of happened in Florida.

[Bobby Bones]

What'd you call it?

[Morgan]

Fry Festival?

[Bobby Bones]

Fire.

[Morgan]

Fire Festival.

[Bobby Bones]

It's spelled F Y R E, but it's Fyre Festival. It's the one that they try to put together.

[Eddie]

The one that never happened.

[Dan Smyers]

Yes.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Got it.

[Morgan]

So it was called Barbie Dream Fest. It was supposed to be this convention for all Barbie lovers. And Everybody paid about $500 for an all inclusive ticket package. And when they showed up, like they were supposed to have an experience with Barbie's Dream House and have all these different photo ops. Well, Barbie's dream house was a cardboard cutout. And then, you know, like those things that they have on the marathon to start a run. Like the big arches? Yes, the blow up arches. They basically had like three of those and a bunch of balloons, and those were the pop ups.

[Bobby Bones]

I saw the video. It looked like a convention center so bad. It was very empty in the middle. And every 20ft there was like another homemade version of a Barbie Dream House. It's very poor.

[Eddie]

I feel like this happens all the time. Like a couple years ago there was one with Lego or something. Lego Fest or something. This happens. I remember when I worked in the news a long time ago and somebody sent Me out to the festival and there was nothing there.

[Bobby Bones]

What festival?

[Eddie]

It was some kind of music. It was like a folk festival in this big pasture. And the whole thing was all the bands showed up and there was no one there.

[Bobby Bones]

People? No, no.

[Eddie]

Like administer people, like running it. Like there was no stages, no setup. People with like vendors, you know, with like popcorn machines showed up and there's like, there's nowhere. Nowhere for us to be.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that everybody's story?

[Amy]

Yeah.

[Eddie]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

Everybody. Everybody good? All right, we're gonna go to Dan and Shay now. Here you go.

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

Hey, Donald. Really flying on that treadmill.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm trying to run as fast AS

[Dan Smyers]

T mobile 5G home Internet, Zach.

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

Well, you better pick it up because now T Mobile has the fastest 5G home Internet according to Ookla Speed Test.

[Bobby Bones]

Really? How's this?

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

T Mobile's faster than that, bud. Speed up.

[Bobby Bones]

No.

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

Plus they've got a five year price guarantee. Come on, faster.

[Dan Smyers]

How can I go any faster?

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

Channel the speed of t mobile 5G home Internet. Think 100 meter dash fast. Think drag racing fast. Think speed skating fast. Now let's bump up your speed a notch.

[Dan Smyers]

Hey, whoa, whoa. That's too fast.

[T-Mobile Spokesperson]

You'll be alright. Just walk it off.

[Bobby Bones]

Get on the fast track. T Mobile now has the fastest 5G home Internet. And for a limited time, it starts

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

at just 30 bucks a month with autopay and a voice. Plus a 5 year price guarantee plus taxes and fees. Fastest according to Ooklo Speed test intelligence data. Second half 2025.

[Dan Smyers]

All rights reserved.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Guarantee for monthly price of 5G Internet.

[Bobby Bones]

Data on eligible plans. Find exclusions and details@t mobile.com

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

and Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league. Anyways.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty.

[Bobby Bones]

Go on the Bobby Bones show now.

[Amy]

Dan and Shay.

[Bobby Bones]

Good to see you guys. Do people still confuse you? Ever do you go on a place and they don't know which one's Dan, which one's Shay?

[Dan Smyers]

100%.

[Bobby Bones]

Still after all this time, people think

[Dan Smyers]

it's a clever comment on social media. It's like you come to our page. We stand in the Order. I gotta check. Okay. We're on this wall, right?

[Bobby Bones]

In the pictures. Do you do it in order?

[Dan Smyers]

We have to, yeah. So it's like, you gotta make sure no matter what, we stand like that on stage. But people think it's clever when they see us on socials. I just still don't know which one's Dan and which one's Shay. Cool, man.

[Bobby Bones]

Because I saw that it's been, like, 10 years since you guys first started to do, like, music in town, like, single or album or whatever. It's been 10 years? Decade. Feels like forever. Because we've been here that amount of time, too. A little more than that. But I didn't know if people still. Or, like, are you Lady Antebellum? You know, like, if. Are you. Which one's Dan? Which one's Shay? That still happens to you guys?

[Dan Smyers]

It's a bit for people. I just think it's like one of those icebreakers. They think, like, oh, that's a good way for me to, like, go up to him at the airport. Which one's Dan? Which one's Shay?

[Bobby Bones]

Ah. Be so annoying. All right, Susan, here's my other question. That's so old school, because I feel like we've talked so many times, sometimes I forget to ask even the most basic questions. Is your real name Dan?

[Dan Smyers]

It is Dan. Well, it's Daniel.

[Bobby Bones]

Okay. Is your real name Shay?

[Shay Mooney]

It is.

[Bobby Bones]

What the heck is a Shay?

[Shay Mooney]

I'm not sure. You know, the. I think the meeting was lost long ago.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you really not know?

[Shay Mooney]

No, I honestly have no idea. But I like the name.

[Dan Smyers]

It's an acronym.

[Bobby Bones]

I didn't know.

[Shay Mooney]

Bobby, you came in here, you just trashed my name. No, I just didn't know if it

[Bobby Bones]

was short for something.

[Shay Mooney]

No, I.

[Dan Smyers]

Not so happy all year is the acronym Shay.

[Shay Mooney]

That's good.

[Dan Smyers]

You know what I mean? I was going to say so high all year, but, you know, or hot.

[Shay Mooney]

So hot. So hot all year. Thank you.

[Bobby Bones]

You're welcome.

[Dan Smyers]

Thank you. Let's go.

[Shay Mooney]

No, I. My first name is James. James Shay Mooney. And my mom, I didn't find that out until maybe 7 years old that, like, my first name is James. I was named after my grandpa. And my mom always called me Shay. And I did not know that was a thing. And so everyone always says, like, oh, so, like, James is your real name. And I'm like, no, it's not my real name.

[Bobby Bones]

Did nobody in high school call you James?

[Shay Mooney]

No. No one ever.

[Bobby Bones]

It was always Shay.

[Shay Mooney]

Yeah, no one's ever Called me James ever.

[Bobby Bones]

I think we're Dan and James. Doesn't work the same.

[Shay Mooney]

Dan and James sounds pretty.

[Dan Smyers]

I think we could kind of start

[Bobby Bones]

today, you know Jimmy. Yeah, Jimmy.

[Shay Mooney]

Can you imagine Jimmy Shea. Dude. I thought it for a while when I was like, this is. This is. I've never said this out out loud ever, but when I was, like, trying to think of cool names, like, back in the day before I met Dan, I. I thought of, like, instead of, like, James Shea, I thought Shay James was kind of a cool thing. And then, you know, you had a lot of people who had, like, something James, and they'd already kind of take.

[Bobby Bones]

I think Shay works. I didn't know that was your middle name, though. Yeah, that's why I asked that, Jay.

[Dan Smyers]

James kind of does work.

[Shay Mooney]

Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty solid.

[Dan Smyers]

Jimmy Shea goes crazy, too. That's like a guy. A 2004 country singer.

[Bobby Bones]

Jimmy Shea is conf. Because you're going one way with Jimmy, and then Shea kind of comes out

[Shay Mooney]

of, like, it's a race car driver name for sure. It's nascar.

[Dan Smyers]

Jimmy Shea.

[Shay Mooney]

Jimmy Shea.

[Dan Smyers]

But it would be spelled S H E A. Yeah, it's great content here, folks.

[Bobby Bones]

What's up with All Black?

[Shay Mooney]

Oh, we didn't tell you. It's. This is very. I have no idea.

[Bobby Bones]

Is this purposeful?

[Dan Smyers]

Kind of. Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

That's why I'm asking, like, what's.

[Amy]

Oh, like, Megan Maroney went from blue to pink, and now y' all are black people.

[Dan Smyers]

Like, our doing hors d' oeuvres at a dinner party after this? No, it's changing it up a little bit. You know, we. You know, aesthetic, we were. It was very, like, Levi's and very denim and, you know, outdoorsy kind of vibes. On the last album, we're changing it up a little bit with this. This new. Brand new sound. So, yeah. Kind of intentional. Also, it's kind of like.

[Bobby Bones]

I don't know.

[Dan Smyers]

We've been wearing black clothes for a long time on stage, so just grab something out of the closet, easy.

[Bobby Bones]

What's the intention for.

[Dan Smyers]

I don't know. Just to kind of change up the aesthetic a little bit. We changed the. We always, like, change the plus sign color, you know, with every signaling a new era. I think we've ran out of colors at this point, so we just had to go back to black and white. But, yeah, I don't know, man. We're just excited about this new chapter. It feels like. Kind of took us a minute to get here. I posted a note to the fans this week that just said, appreciate the patience. I mean, because, I don't know, I feel like we're in an era where people put out music, like, 30 songs a month. It's just the volume is crazy. We're just. We've just never really been those guys. I don't know. It takes us a little longer.

[Bobby Bones]

Is that because you're a perfectionist?

[Dan Smyers]

No. Yeah, for sure. For sure. I obsess over every detail, and it's maybe to a fault sometimes. I'm trying to get a little bit better about it. Surrendering mixes and masters a little earlier than I used to. Yeah, man. I just feel like it's kind of a new chapter, you know, sharing the music with people along the way, letting people feel more involved. It used to be like I would hold on to it. So precious. And then it just, I don't know, kind of messed me up a little bit.

[Bobby Bones]

So the song is say so. So I don't know. Tell me about the song. We'll play it. But I need to know. You just mentioned, like, some intentional about the song. What's up with it?

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah, man. It's this, I feel like, is a very person. It's a different concept than we've ever done before. I feel like we're kind of known as, like, they're the wedding guys. They sing songs about our wives, and, you know, we'll always do that. But this song we wrote, and we weren't sure if it was ever gonna come out, we sat down, right, with our buddies Jimmy Robbins and David Hodges. One day, we were kind of just having a great, great week of creativity. Wrote a bunch of songs. We were out writing with this guy Brandon Lake at Darkhorse Studios. A bunch of artists just. I don't know, Creativity was really happening. We were writing songs, and we sat down and, you know, you guys know Ben Vaughn. He was head of Warner Chapel Music Publishing and signed us to our first publishing deal here in town. Kind of one of the first guys to take a chance on us. The reason that we're at our record label, Warner Records, Nashville, you know, they were in the same building at the time, and we were just two songwriters. We weren't even a band. We weren't even Jimmy and Dan at the time. And he was like, man, you guys sound great singing these songs. Would you be willing to meet this guy, John Esposito, who was the head of the label at the time? So he walked us upstairs, sang for Espo, and the rest is history. Still at that label, still at that publishing company. But he took his life, and it's just. I don't know, it wrecked a lot of us in town. I feel like a lot of people were affected and impacted by that. And we were just sharing stories about Ben and just talking it out with the guys, just having one of those emotional days. And we were like, he was on our hearts and he was on our minds, and. Sorry, I get a little choked up telling this story. We haven't told it a whole lot yet, but we were just talking about Ben, and we were like, we should write a song about him today. And it was just a heavy, serious concept. And again, it's, like, not something that Dan and Shay would traditionally do or release, but we're like, we just. I don't know, we owe it to ourselves and we owe it to Ben to see this one through. Sometimes you gotta get that off your chest and off your heart. In the writing room and we wrote a song called say so. And we finished it. We knew it was a special song, but we weren't sure, like, it would ever come out. It might have been just one of those ones that, like, okay, we needed to do this therapeutically, to just get it out there into the world, and then it just lives on a hard drive or just in our demos folder forever and be one of those things. But I got home, I played it for Abby, and she was like, man, that song is incredible. Like, the world needs to hear that. She's like, that's beautiful that you guys wrote that for Ben on his birthday. And we didn't know it was his birthday. The day we wrote that song, I pulled out my Facebook. Yes, I'm old. I still use Facebook. But I pulled it up and it was like, would you like to wish Ben a happy birthday? It would have been his 50th birthday that day. We had no idea when we wrote the song. And I feel like that, not to get too spiritual on it, but that's more than coincidence to me. That song was meant to be written that day. And I don't know, I feel like while it's a heavy, serious concept and topic, I do think there's a lot of hope and optimism in the song. I don't know. It's a tough time in the world right now. You know, we deal with our own stuff. We've been open about it. I've dealt with anxiety and depression and all the things over the last few years, more so probably than I ever have, you know, openly go to therapy. I encourage it, especially guys in this process, I learned that 80% of suicides in the United States are male, which is a pretty shocking stat. I think guys, myself included, very much so, myself included, don't do a good job of sharing their feelings and emotions. So, yeah, I just. I started going to Porter's Call, Chad at Porter's Call here in town. It's just changed my life. Yeah. And I just think it's a song that can help people more so than anything, you know, I think it's feels great. It sounds awesome on the radio. We're proud of the way it turned out. I think it sounds like a hit or whatever that sounds like. But I also think this song can help someone. And that's kind of what we said when we wanted to make this the first single off this new project. If. If the song doesn't ever do anything on the charts or doesn't move the needle for us, if it helps one person, if it saves one life, it was worth it. So that's kind of. Kind of my long winded explanation of say so. And man, I'm proud of this song. And we've been proud of a lot of songs in our career, but this one, it feels different.

[Bobby Bones]

How you guys getting along right now? Everything good?

[Shay Mooney]

It's been amazing, dude. Honestly, I feel like through this, not just this song, but kind of writing all this music that we've been writing over the last six months has been a very freeing process of just, you know, in the spirit of kind of communicating, you know, I feel like that's something that anyone who's in a band or a group or, I mean, you guys even, it's like if you don't communicate, things kind of build up over time. And we learned, you know, back in, you know, at the end of 2021, that we really had to do that first and foremost and communicate. And it's really what the essence of this song is. You know, obviously saying something when you're going through a tough time, but also just communicating, making sure that you're. You're talking to your friends and checking on them. And Dan and I have been. Been doing that better than we've ever done it in our entire career. It's been a very freeing process and allowed us to really write some songs that are from our hearts, not just getting in a room and. And, you know, it's not a formulaic thing. We've been just talking and these songs have been coming out that are relating to us in our lives at this present time in a way that we've never really had in our career on this level. And it's just kind of turned into this very freeing thing where it's like, man, this is. I'm having fun making music again in the process of making music. And I think that starts at just with us, you know, making sure that we're communicating and being like, man, this is. This really is the craziest thing, that we get to do this for a living and making sure that we're on the same page, you know? And it's just been. It's been really fun, honestly. I've had more fun in this album process than we've ever had in our entire career, honestly.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you start to get restless if you're not on the road?

[Dan Smyers]

Kind of, yeah, kind of. I mean, we haven't played a proper show in a long time. We're about to start doing that a little bit. I feel like it is hard, though, when you're out of motion to get back into motion. I think once we're back in motion right now, it's been super busy. I feel like that's, at least for me. I kind of thrive in that space. I know you're the same way. I mean, you're always doing something, always working. I feel like when you're. When you've got momentum, it's either easier to stay moving, but when you get stagnant for a while, like, after Covid or whatever, to try to pick it back up and be like, oh, we got to go to a show, it's. It's kind of tough to get out of that space. But now that we're moving, I feel like we're rocking and it's easier to stay moving. But, yeah, we. I'm excited to get out and play. I mean, especially say so. We've been rehearsing it all week, and it just feels awesome. I feel like it's going to be one of those moments in the show that. I don't know. We don't have that kind of song in our. In our set. And to get to play it live, I feel like it's gonna be cool.

[Bobby Bones]

Do you get nervous that nobody will come when you go back out? Because I do. Every single time.

[Dan Smyers]

Every time.

[Shay Mooney]

Every time.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, that's a real fear where you're going. We've been out for a while. This is me, not you. Do people even care anymore? Like, that's how I feel. Like, I don't even know if I want to make myself that vulnerable.

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah, for sure. Like, my. My group chat and I. We Joke about, like, concept of this tours on unforeseen circumstances Watch, you know, you don't want your tour to be on unforeseen circumstances. We thought about, like, just going right at it, naming the tour the Unforeseen Circumstances Watch Tour. If we cancel, please, fans, do not let our tour go on unforeseen circumstances.

[Bobby Bones]

For anybody out there, any success you guys have had, you still have that insecurity of, I don't know, will people

[Shay Mooney]

still come every time? Man, I don't think that ever goes away as an artist. Like, we all care a lot. You know, you grow up, and I think even more so sometimes when you've been doing it for a while, because when you're kind of caught up in that and you have some success, you know, these things happen, you know, and the shows are crazy, and. And I think we. When you've been doing it for a while, you have that realization of, well, this. This doesn't last forever for everybody. You know what I mean? Sometimes, like, it just. Things change, you know, time goes by, and I think every artist kind of has that, especially because you care. Like, I think the. The fans probably, they have that perspective of, like, oh, you guys have had success. You've done this. Like, why. You know, why do you care, you know, about this? And it's like, that never changes. That. That spark of, you know, of wanting to do this for a living and getting to do it on the highest level never goes away. I mean, I always think about, like, professional sports players, like, whether it be NFL or NBA, like, they have that short window where they're able to play professionally, and that's gotta be such a hard transition. We're lucky because we can do music. There's a. There's a lot of us in the community who are. They're still singing at 90 years old, which is an amazing thing. But you always kind of have that in the back of your mind of, like, are people gonna, like, come to the shows and do they care about this music? Especially now more than ever, like, with all the AI Stuff and people's attention spans are three seconds, it's like, man, this is so. Like, is it irrelevant that we even do this? Does it matter? And I think that's. A song like this, to me, is so important, especially, you know, for us where it's like, man, it doesn't. We've finally gotten back to that place where, like, it. It truly doesn't matter. If this is, like, our biggest song. We want it to be. Obviously, we're gonna do everything we possibly can to make sure as many people can hear this song, especially because it's this message, and it's like, if one person hears this and it changes their life, that truly was worth it. And living in that place is very freeing, where it's like, all right, we're doing what we're supposed to be doing right now, and we can't control anything besides that. We can't control if this song is successful, but we can control the process of that and making sure we do. We're putting out songs that mean something to us because I'm willing to down that hill of like, all right, we took this. You know, we did exactly what we were supposed to do here and what we were felt called to do. And that's. That is what it is. What happens after that, you know, where

[Dan Smyers]

do you stand with it? I mean, you've accomplished so much. I'm flipping the script right now. All these, like, doing shows or coming in here and doing this. I mean, you guys. It's a. You guys are here early every day. Like, what's your. Why at this point, you know, is

[Bobby Bones]

it, I got a baby now?

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah. Such an amazing thing. And you've done it for so long. I feel like the process, you know, even though it's probably hard at times, it's like, this is a beautiful thing. I'm just. Just showing respect to you guys. I mean, I know we need to goof around a lot, don't we, guys?

[Eddie]

Thank you.

[Dan Smyers]

Together for a long time. And that's. That's awesome. You know what I mean? That. You guys, it's. It's hard to keep a group together for this long. I mean, it's hard to keep a duo together. It's like you guys are doing something right. And it's. I don't know. Shay mentioned the AI thing and all the advancements in the future and technology and all the things, man. Like, it's about, like, finding joy in the process, too. Like, getting to come in here, spend time with people you love. I'm getting corny. It's early in the morning.

[Shay Mooney]

Well, this is awkward.

[Bobby Bones]

This is our last show ever.

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah, I teed it up.

[Bobby Bones]

They didn't even know.

[Amy]

Yeah, we actually had a huge fight.

[Shay Mooney]

Yeah, I could feel it. Guys.

[Bobby Bones]

Our fight was, which one's Dan? Which one's Shay? That's the whole thing.

[Dan Smyers]

We still don't know. Honestly, that's the thing.

[Bobby Bones]

We do a segment on our show called tell me something Good. So from your personal lives right now, I'd like to hear something good that's happening to you. Shay, you go first.

[Shay Mooney]

Oh, man. So many things. Honestly, I feel. So honestly, I was telling the truth when I said this process of kind of making all this music. I have found kind of, I guess my why again? Obviously, I have four amazing kids and my wife and all these incredible things in my personal life, but all of that has. It feels like it's kind of come together with the kind of music that we're making. You know, what it means to us. And it feels like for the very first time, it's like, okay, all these worlds have collided and that's a really a crazy thing. You know, we're not the guys that are, you know, singing pickup songs. You know, like, it's not that we can't ever do those songs, but like, it feels like this music is exactly where we're at in our lives right now. And that's a very exciting thing. My six year old, Ames got three hits the other day. Live pitch and baseball. It's pretty huge, huge news. Y' all can cover the sports segment if you'd like. I got some videos, but it's exciting, man. I feel like those. We get to do this for a living and it's amazing, but there was a lot of years where I was like, okay, I have this life and then we go out on the road and it's this thing and I get to, you know, play this character. It truly feels like in this new era, if you will, it feels like all those things have. Have blended together and I'm just having more fun than I ever have where it's just like, this is really a cool thing.

[Bobby Bones]

Is there? I'm sure there is, but walk me through. You have one kid, but you go one to two. What's the dynamic difference from one to two?

[Shay Mooney]

I think that's the biggest change is one to two and one. Especially like in our lives. Like with one with Asher, our oldest, he's nine now. We were playing like two hundred and fifty shows every year and it was like really crazy and I wasn't hum a lot. The second with Ames, he was born two weeks before COVID So like I had all the time in the world, which is like a big struggle because I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't know how to balance that. But I think that the second, the biggest dynamic change was the first one. You're terrified all the time. I remember like having.

[Bobby Bones]

That's what we are now.

[Shay Mooney]

Like, is she breathing?

[Bobby Bones]

Is she breathing? Yeah.

[Shay Mooney]

Is she a lot?

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah, yeah.

[Shay Mooney]

You know, that was literally the first, probably six months was just me in a full blown panic and mainly my wife because we were on the road a lot. But literally you're just kind of looking over like, are they alive? I can't believe they let me take this human baby home, you know, on like the first day. They were born with no instructions. With no instructions.

[Bobby Bones]

Like, they trust us with it. That's true.

[Shay Mooney]

They trust us. Which is like, you shouldn't. You shouldn't. I don't think.

[Bobby Bones]

And you get home and you're like, well, what do I do with it now? For a minute you're like, what do I do now? Like, where does it go?

[Shay Mooney]

Terrifying. But second, you're like, I mean, by your third, you know, if you, if you have more than. More than two, you're just like, anything goes. Or it's like, ah, they're fine.

[Bobby Bones]

Let the first one raise the third one. It's like 1800 farming days.

[Shay Mooney]

Yeah. My fourth, I think he's doing good. I don't know. We've been letting the kids kind of do that one, but it's. It's really fun, dude. I think the first is very scary, but it also, it's the greatest thing in the world, man. It, like, you know, time goes on and you kind of get that confidence. Like, all right, I've changed a bunch of poops and we're already like. You already start to feel like you're killing. Like, my dad never once in his home. And my dad was amazing. My dad never changed a diaper. Not one. I've changed. I'm up in the millions, at least in the millions. I mean, the amount of poop that I've changed is. It should be in the Guinness World Book of Records.

[Bobby Bones]

I'm surprised that I'm not as grossed out by it as I am. And at first I was scared of it and a little grossed out, but at this point, it's just, how do we do it Efficiently, thoroughly, Because you don't want to deal with any of the infections. And also, it was a girl and that was weird for me.

[Shay Mooney]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

I was just like, I don't know if I should. But now it's just like, just take care of it. But yeah, we're still on the stage of making sure it's breathing.

[Dan Smyers]

How's Caitlin?

[Bobby Bones]

She's breathing.

[Dan Smyers]

She's great.

[Bobby Bones]

She's great.

[Shay Mooney]

She's awesome.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. It's the most athletic thing I've ever seen her do is have a baby. It's crazy.

[Dan Smyers]

It's amazing.

[Bobby Bones]

Yeah. Tell me something good, Dan.

[Dan Smyers]

Let's see our dog Joy, who we named you guys Pimpin Joy. That was over 10 years ago. I think it was like 12 years ago ago. We adopted Joy during Pimpin Joy week. Named her Joy in Joy's honor. And yeah, she's still, she's still rocking. She got diagnosed with cancer over two years ago, has gone through two major surgeries, seven rounds of chemo and she's had lesions removed. But she's still with us, which is a beautiful thing and I'm very grateful for every day that we get to spend with her. She's getting older, but she's still bossy as ever and walks five miles a day and I don't know, just every, every time we get a clear scan back is beautiful and awesome. Just learning to appreciate those things like that, those moments a little bit more than we used to. I think it's just process of getting older.

[Bobby Bones]

Congratulations, guys. I hope you know, you get what you want to get out of this project and song. And like you said, you did this one for a different reason. And if it blows up, that's awesome. And if it doesn't, you still have a reason for why you did it. Yeah. Super pumped to see whatever's happening with you guys next. Obviously we're all getting older, so we're doing things that probably matter to us a little more. Like why do something now if it doesn't matter? So it feels like this matters to you guys.

[Shay Mooney]

It does, man. I think more than any song has. I mean, obviously they're like your kids, you write these songs and they all mean something to you in different ways. But this new music, it just, it's extra special because I do think that you, with time, you know, and a little bit of wisdom and maybe dumb luck, you fall into this place where it's like, alright, why do anything if it doesn't matter? And I think especially in this world, we're so distracted and things are just kind of. They're flippant and they don't mean much to us. We're always scrolling on our phones. And I think that's where I want to be in my life. I want to be spending time with people that matter to me. And community, I think that's a big thing. Obviously that's not exactly what this song is talking about, but it is in a lot of ways where when you have a community, we've kind of lost that in ways in our society where it's like, you know, things are just very passive and we don't have, you know, we know a lot of people on Instagram and we kind of like, you know, we see these things and we're kind of very passive with our friendships. I think community, just like what you guys have right here, that's this matters. I think that AI can only take over so much. You can. You'll never be able to replace community and the people that are around you. And I think we learned that with COVID when we weren't able to see people. Like community matters. And I think that making sure we emphasize that in our lives and making sure that we're writing things and putting out things into the world that make the world a better place and that matter to us. And I think if it matters to us, I think in turn the people who have grown up listening to our music and it meaning something to them, it'll mean even more to them if it means that much to us on a deep level. I feel that right now. So. Yeah, man, I'm excited and appreciate you having us do.

[Bobby Bones]

No, I'm pumped you guys came in. Last question. Do you guys do encores?

[Dan Smyers]

We do. We do.

[Bobby Bones]

How do you feel about them and what song do you normally do? Do you save like the biggest song for your encore?

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah, yeah, we save Speechless and Tequila. Usually I feel like you come out

[Amy]

and do those so you pretend you're gonna leave without doing the biggest new song drama.

[Dan Smyers]

You gotta create a little. I hate Dan and Shane now.

[Bobby Bones]

They don't even play my drum usually

[Dan Smyers]

because we get like contracts to play for 90 minutes and we're like at the 82 minute mark, we gotta buy ourselves an extra couple minutes of the check clears, you know?

[Amy]

Okay.

[Dan Smyers]

It's like, it helps you extend that

[Amy]

ending, but you walk off and then you wait. I mean, because they must get loud for those.

[Bobby Bones]

Have you ever not came back?

[Dan Smyers]

We've thought about it a couple times.

[Bobby Bones]

I saw it happen once.

[Shay Mooney]

Really?

[Bobby Bones]

Yes, I saw it happen once. Who was it? It was the Fray. So they were doing our show and this is a long time ago and I'm a massive fan of the Fray.

[Dan Smyers]

So. Can you believe they're touring without the singer?

[Bobby Bones]

Just the guitar players. A singer now, that's crazy. Yeah. And so they go back and they do, you know how to save a life. And they do all their songs, right? And they. And the crowds just kind of mid. And I watched them come back to side stage and go, nah. And they went back and they leave

[Dan Smyers]

anything on the table. Like cable car or something. Like, what did they.

[Bobby Bones]

They did leave a song that they didn't play.

[Dan Smyers]

Yeah.

[Bobby Bones]

But I respected it because their encore was what they were going to. Going to go, let's go see if we like it, and if we do, we'll go back out, and if not, we don't. And they went, nah. And they said, turn the lights up. Lights went up. Everybody went out.

[Dan Smyers]

I love that.

[Bobby Bones]

It was awesome. It was awesome.

[Dan Smyers]

Don't give us any ideas.

[Bobby Bones]

Yes. Great to see you guys. Congratulations.

[Dan Smyers]

Thank you, guys.

[Bobby Bones]

And congratulations on the song say so Dan and Shay here on the Bobby Bones Show.

[Dan Smyers]

Good job, guys.

[Bobby Bones]

All right, thank you, everybody. We will see you guys on Monday. Have a good weekend. Go back and hear any of the episodes that you missed all this week. If you miss lunchbox getting on prices. Right. If you want to go back another week, you know, whenever my baby was born, you can check that podcast out. And that's it. Again, have a good one. Be safe. We'll see you guys Monday. Bye, everybody.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Hey, everyone. Check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug)]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league anyways.

[Liberty Mutual Spokesperson (Doug's Partner)]

Only pay for what you need at libertymutual. Com.

[Amy]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Bobby Bones]

Guaranteed Human.